Monday, July 25, 2011

Finally I've actually spend some time and effort in painting my stuff but not 40ks' but my High Elves. This is actually the first few batches of stuff I've bought since the release of the Island of Blood box set that comes with High Elves and Skaven so I've shared the box with someone else and I end up with the High Elves part (which I wanted anyways). Other than the box set the additional ones are the Lord and Noble Set, Dragon Princes of Caledor, White Lions of Chrace plus and additional components from the box set. Thus this makes up what I have currently after a few conversions:

Other than these stuff, I've also procured some super old stuff which I've sold of most of it but only keep the stuff I've wanted which are the Repeater Bolt Throwers (I shall change these to the plastic ones soon enough). Here are some pics of my completed stuff (minus the basing) and WIPs.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Hey Guardsmen, looking to know more about the Heroes in the Imperial Guard and this is your second installation for knowing your heroes and these heroes are probably standing next to you screaming or bellowing at you just because you look like a walrus, just that you came from Texas or an ugly FATBODY and call you GOMMER PYLE!

When stubbornness meets bad attitude

Commander Chenkov

He is one of my favourite Platoon Commander replacement of all time. For a nominal 50 points, you'll get a big whip for your infantry squads, 12" Stubborn bubble and gang up with a Lord Commissar for the Ld10 juiciness. Instead of popping Commissars here and there, Chenkov is more like a discount Stubborn package for all so you can't complain for a slightly losing that Ld boost. While losing the First Rank, Fire! Second Rank, Fire! command, having the Get Back in the Fight command is still not all bad either so they'll come back and play along with your friends for an even longer time. The next best thing about Chenkov is the Send in the Next Wave that you can do when you have Conscripts to go with. You have innumerable amount of Conscripts with the same strength as the original squad (Independent Characters are excluded btw!). At anytime of any player's starting turn you press the bomb (in short killing everybody), you'll get another fresh squad on your subsequent starting turn unless your opponent kills it then probably you won't get it. Thus this makes a good big tarpitting or mudslinging (yeah insult your opponents to kill conscripts instead of Guardsmen) if well placed and used well. Comes with a power weapon and bolt pistol which is quite typical for me and a 4+ carapace armor is so standard. The 50 points is spent for the abilities dude and is considered well spent!

I'm a pseudo Khosaro Khan.
A little better here, a little bit better there
No as good as the real thing though

Captain Al'-Rahem

The only Arab in the Imperial Guard codex, and by the book he does fight like one typical Arab guerrilla. 70 points replacement that make your whole platoon outflanking. Maybe it can go wrong maybe it can go fine or even dealing some damage to enemy flanks or even the center blocks. Plasma pistol in hand is not fancy but the Claw of the Desert Tigers is just a big whooping force weapon that is not wielded by a Psyker and does not require Psychic Tests so a potential wound is a potential kill, even Khosaro Khan does not get this kind of privilege. A "Complatoon" Commander (Company Commander and Platoon Commander mix) that gives you First Rank, FIRE! Second Rank, FIRE! and Bring it Down! He is surely an embodiment of guerrilla tactics with the command called Like the Wind!. This command combines shooting and running in one single package, nobody can hate that! The potential of his prowess is still under my purview but I can consider building an army around him. Initial results are that building him using heavy Mechanized Infantry Platoon is one way or walking the platoon in is also not all of a bad idea while he stays in a Chimera doing what most Guardsman does best...... spray and pray.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Reading through the codex once again I found out we have actually 12 named characters to choose from and whether is it worth the points. We will right here evaluate it one by one. Starting with the HQ

Creed: I'm the only genius among the Imperial Guard!Kell: I kept you alive all this while so you can be the only genius, noob!Creed: [Face palm]......

Lord Castellan Creed and Color Sergeant Kell

The first two named character of the codex, Lord Castellan Usarkar Creed together with his "gay partner" Color Sergeant Kell (not actually gay partner but them come in pairs if you buy the blister). At 90 points replacing your Company Command Squad with Ld10 you can make four orders at 24" radius, gain access to all commands available and the special order For the Honour of Cadia (grants a unit Furious Charge and Fearless until the remainder of the turn, pretty useless trust me) plus some nifty wargear that is not really impressive. He also grants one unit with the Scout USR, outflanking Leman Russ Battle Tank Squadron anyone? He is best used with massive infantry (to maximize the usage of orders) and in pretty large games like 2000+ points and ups.

Color Sergeant Kell is one nifty piece to put in the squad. A veteran with a power fist, a power weapon, carapace armor, regimental standard, 2 wound bodyguard (works for Creed only) at Ld8 for 85 points replacing one veteran. Using the commander's Ld value instead of the receiving can be a big boost for armies that includes Heavy Weapons Squad and Special Weapons Squad which has Ld7 so can't go wrong with that. Since it takes up one veteran slot this leaves less options for the Company Command Squad to go with but still he makes a decent assault buff.

Never forget that they are not Independent Characters, they are purchased as a part of the squad!

I'm more fighty, more smacky and more durable than most. Thanks to my "Iron Hand""Iron Hand" you say? "Melta Hand" more like.

Colonel "Iron Hand" Straken

Arguably the Close Combat Monster in the Codex. He fights better (WS5), whacks harder (S6), much tougher (T4) and better armor (3+) than all the officers in the codex. Man of Adamantium gives him such stat line and his squad is Fearless, so don't worry that your precious Company Command Squad will chicken out after seeing some blood or start squirming after a few mortar blasts. The "Iron Hand" cracks tank with an extra d6 thus the "Melta Hand" monicker. With a 12" bubble of Furious Charge and Counter Attack to friendly units (including walkers), that makes virtually any walking unit within his bubble an assaulting mob or a rough brawl when being assaulted. Usually I tool him up with a medic, meltaguns and 2 bodyguards to make it a assault oriented squad, although it is small but still works fine for me. Cost? 95 points replacing your commoner senior officer, it's total value! One point to note that he is not an Independent Character so he cannot be specifically target in assaults.